A Little One

"I make my work out of my everyday experiences,
which I find as perplexing and extraordinary as can be."

That there is a pecking order in all things cosmic and earthly is the way things are. It is an interesting everyday experience to watch the dynamic, especially of “alpha males”. The point is there can only be one.

Young Austin, was and still may be, one of the handsomest women on the planet. She adored her mentor Byron. Byron was the architect on a small project for a very important client. Gusse, Crettier, and Smoczynski were the designer/builders and the general contractors. So important a client, Claes drew a circle on her wall and signed it and Jasper Johns seemed at every turn.

I’m sure its not so, but it seems that architectural school is a five year process so that the extra year can be spent learning the techniques of intimidation, belittling, general arrogance and one liners, art. Maybe that's left for apprenticeship. It’s said that Frank Wright was at a dinner of one of his clients when it began to rain. Water poured through the roof on to the table. His patron distressed by the poor functional design queried of the master, “What do “we” do about this?” The true master of architecture…in this one line, “Get more buckets.”

These talents are necessary, especially, to a New York architect. The professional life is indeed the emperor’s new clothes and the only thing to master is people’s perceptions and faith. Profess is the root. In the city, this is very important because talent and capability must be kept in check, it is everywhere. After all, you can’t have young artists, engineers, dancers and philosophers questioning your position, your mastery. There can be only one.

The notion of the Alpha Male is sexual in its root…so to speak. The Alpha Male isn't necessarily the largest, or the smartest, but he is the most intimidating, he exudes his power to hold his position and never expose his vulnerability. The project was doomed.

A meeting was called, though there wasn't any real reason for it. Architects do this so their patrons can see they are controlling the situation and appear to have a purpose during construction. Additionally and of most importance, since they receive the greatest portion of their commissions based on the construction costs, they can make sure that the contractors have lots of change orders to meet the whims of the clients. But make sure that the client thinks, always, it’s the contractor’s fault.

This turned out to be a "fault" meeting. Byron made a significant mistake in measurements and had erroneously drawn the plans. He thought we should assume this error in his plans, "A good contractor would have seen this." Since Gatsby, Critter and the Other One didn’t notice his error, we were to be blamed for omissions and should accept this. There was no question.

So the plans were stretched out over the plans table. Gatsby, Critter, the Other One, two sub-contractors, Austin and Byron huddled about. Byron would now demonstrate how the fault should be placed, by showing how a "good" contractor would have rectified his error.

Byron straightened and reached in his breast pocket. He produced the smallest brass and wood folding scale that could be imagined…lovely workmanship. Smiling with glee, about to put us all in our place, with young Austin beaming at her mentor, he stated authoritatively, “ I bet you never knew I had a little one.”